Until now, Murdoch has been far less influential in U.S. politics than he has in his native Australia and until recently in England, where a phone hacking scandal involving several Murdoch-owned newspapers has shaken his status as a fearsome power broker.

The hacking scandal forced the departure of many Murdoch’s deputies, peeling away a protective layer around him while also liberating him to take such risks as openly criticizing Romney, some who know him say.

Murdoch, 81 and a naturalized U.S. citizen, chose to launch his critique of Romney on Twitter, the social networking site where information is exchanged in 140-character blasts known as tweets.

“When is Romney going to look like a challenger? Seems to play everything safe, make no news except burn of Hispanics,” Murdoch tweeted from his iPad on June 24. “Easy for Romney to spell out restoration of the American dream and bash incompetent administration. But not a word!” he said later that day. “Tough O Chicago pros will be hard to beat unless (Romney) drops old friends from team and hires some real pros. Doubtful,” Murdoch tweeted on July 1.

http://www.salon.com/writer/beth_fouhy/

Murdoch has influenced US politics since he ever put his foot in that country... The Fox network is shaped in the Uncle Rupe conservative bulldozer that has been his trademark around the world... Entertaining conservative dribble delivered with spruiking power and received with voyeuristic addiction, like a drug we know is doing us harm but can't get away from using it... Uncle Rupe's rant about Romney is only part of a well-known tactic that "distances" himself from the intent of his enterprises, which he firmly controls. It's a bit like making a movie like Avatar, but being a fully fledge conservative in favour of war to destroy these little gremlins or blue giants... He plays this proportional game to "give" himself cred (and moneys) when he does not deserve any...

Government documents filed by Mitt Romney and Bain Capital say Romney remained chief executive and chairman of the firm three years beyond the date he said he ceded control, even creating five new investment partnerships during that time.

Romney has said he left Bain in 1999 to lead the winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, ending his role in the company. But public Securities and Exchange Commission documents filed later by Bain Capital state he remained the firm’s “sole stockholder, chairman of the board, chief executive officer, and president.”

Also, a Massachusetts financial disclosure form Romney filed in 2003 states that he still owned 100 percent of Bain Capital in 2002. And Romney’s state financial disclosure forms indicate he earned at least $100,000 as a Bain “executive” in 2001 and 2002, separate from investment earnings.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/post/did-republicans-forget-to-vet-romney/2012/07/12/gJQAXrb4fW_blog.html?hpid=z2

Where the Money Lives

For all Mitt Romney’s touting of his business record, when it comes to his own money the Republican nominee is remarkably shy about disclosing numbers and investments. Nicholas Shaxson delves into the murky world of offshore finance, revealing loopholes that allow the very wealthy to skirt tax laws, and investigating just how much of Romney’s fortune (with $30 million in Bain Capital funds in the Cayman Islands alone?) looks pretty strange for a presidential candidate.

http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/2012/08/investigating-mitt-romney-offshore-accounts

http://articles.boston.com/2012-07-12/politics/32633322_1_bain-capital-mitt-romney-financial-disclosure

There are many worse things to be called than “you people.” But if this is the closest thing to gold that Ann Romney gives the Machine to use, then this is what the Machine will spin back into straw and set on fire. It is possible to say “you people” affectionately and without a hint of a sneer, in a tone that makes it clear that you think highly of your interlocutor’s intellect and are speaking with respect and affection. Just say it the way Aaron Sorkin wouldn’t. “Oh, you people!”

But it makes an awful quote.

Yes, Ann Romney said it in that masterfully patient, tired-and-slightly-bemused-that-folks-even-would-ask-that-question-but-still-happy-to-oblige tone that she has been deploying over the course of the campaign. It’s a great tone. She’s called Mitt’s secret weapon for a reason.

People, in general, like Ann Romney. The Democratic National Committee decided, of its own volition, to apologize for an ad in which it featured her dressage horse, no doubt feeling a sudden pang of regret at how few people had even heard of the ad.

But you hear the words “you people,” and you picture someone getting out of a carriage, beckoning to Jeeves and sliding on her gloves with the faintest hint of a sneer. “Yewww people.” It has that unfortunate ring to it. The great unwashed. The hordes. The rabble. Hoi polloi — that’s Greek for “the many.” The plebeians. The peasantry. You people. Never mind the tone in which it was actually uttered.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/compost/post/ann-romney-vs-you-the-people/2012/07/19/gJQAVWF1vW_blog.html?hpid=z2

When you have friends like John McCain, who needs political enemies?  That was surely the thinking of Mitt Romney today after the aforementioned said he chose Sarah Palin as his running mate in 2008 over the former Massachusetts governor because she was the “better candidate”.

The slip by Senator McCain, which seemed to present Ms Palin as the gold standard of campaigning to which Mr Romney could not hope to measure up, came at a bad time. Mr Romney continues to face calls not just from Democrats but also some in his own party to release tax returns going back several years to quell questions about his personal fortune and whether he parked some of it overseas to dodge taxes.

Senator McCain thought he was being helpful. When in 2008 he rejected Mr Romney, his former rival for the nomination, as his choice for Veep it was not because of anything his vetting team had seen after sifting through two decades worth of Mr Romney’s tax returns, he said. But his follow-up – that he did it merely because Ms Palin seemed the “better” choice – ignited an unwanted uproar.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/john-mccain-says-he-chose-sarah-palin-as-his-running-mate-in-2008-instead-of-mitt-romney-because-she-was-the-better-candidate-7956860.html

See toon at top...